New Faith – New Life
April 10, 2011
Lent 5
We continue our journey – following Jesus to the cross during the Season of Lent — today.
As we have noted, Lent is the most important time in the Christian year. This six week season of the Church year before Easter — 40 days to match the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness — is designed for us to spend time reflecting on the death of Christ for our sins – what that means for us – and how we can respond to it and live our lives differently because of what God has done for us.
What does following Christ mean for us?
We are looking at 2 passages of scripture today that help us understand how following Christ means that we have the opportunity for new faith – and new life.
Listen to God’s word from Ezekiel 37;1-14 and John 11:1-7, 17-44.
The situation for you may have taken place in the past, or it may come in the future, or it may be a part of your life right now.
Here’s the situation:
Something terrible happens to you or to someone you know or someone you care about and it just seems to suck all hope and joy and purpose for living right out of you. You may fear that you will never again experience any joy or any feeling of purpose in life ever again. You may find it hard to believe that anything can happen to make your life different or to change your life or to give you something hope for again. You may have a hard time believing that anyone loves you or cares about you – and you may even have a hard time believing that God loves you and cares for you. When going through this situation you may find it hard to believe that there can come a time when you can experience a new faith and a new life.
Have you ever experienced such a time in your life?
Have you ever felt like that?
If not, consider yourself blessed – because these times and these feelings come upon almost everybody.
Times of despair.
Times of feelings of hopelessness.
Times when it seems that all hope and joy is gone and nothing can bring it back.
Times when you may just want to yell at anyone who tries you tell us about how you can experience new faith and new life:
“New faith?
New life?
Just look at what’s going on in my life! How can you even suggest such a thing!”
Yea. At one time or another in your life you will probably experience situations like the ones before us in our Old Testament and Gospel passages for today – so let’s look at what these passages say about these times in our lives.
This kind of situation is the background for the story of the valley of dry bones in our Ezekiel passage. As Ezekiel gazed out on that “death valley” so to speak – that valley covered with bones — his people – the Israelites – were in exile. Their connection with the land God had given their ancestors had been snapped like a twig. They may have heard the stories about how they were God’s people, but it may have seemed to them that these were just stories from the past – stories of “the good old days” and now they may have not been sure if they were God’s people or not as they lived as aliens in a strange land hundreds of miles from the land God had promised them. To them, the exile may have felt a lot like death — a final death for them as a people. Their spirits may have been as dry and bare as those bones lying in the valley. They probably didn’t see how their lives could ever be any different – or be changed. They probably didn’t see that there would ever be anything else to hope for. They probably didn’t see that anything new could occur that would change their situation. New faith and new life probably seemed impossible for them.
It is in this bottoming out moment of deep despair that the Lord does something that is new and different and full of hope.
The Lord grabs Ezekiel and takes him to that valley. The Lord shows him the dry bones but He also shows him that “them bones are gonna rise again”. The Lord shows Him that the bones can get up and dance and that they can breathe again.
The message from the Lord is clear for Ezekiel and those who listen to him:
Exile is not the end. Your situation is not hopeless. With God — new faith and new life are always possible.
The Lord did bring His people back and He did give them hope – He brought them back to the land of promise. He even brought them back from the “death valley” of exile. Even in exile, new faith and new life were possible.
So – what about in our Gospel lesson?
Times of despair and feelings of hopelessness are not experienced only by groups of people such as the Israelites in our Old Testament lesson for today, are they?
No – these times can also happen in families – and that is just what has happened to Mary and Martha in the Gospel passage before us. Their brother Lazarus has died — and they are devastated. They probably don’t see how their lives will ever be any different – or how their situation will ever be changed. They probably don’t see that there will ever be anything else again to hope for. They probably don’t see that anything new can ever occur that will change their situation.
Their loss is not only a personal grief and an emotional burden, but it also pushes the sisters out to the margins of society as women without men. People in Bethany more than likely did not know what to do with them. They were probably on their way to being seen as outcasts in their village, and through no fault of their own.
So their situation is not just about the death of Lazarus. It was like a death for them also. The death of their dream. The death of their independence. The death of life as they knew it. Indeed, they probably see no hope for the future.
When Martha greeted Jesus’ arrival with:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
it certainly sounded like she and Mary don’t see how their lives will ever again be different. It certainly sounds like they don’t see that there will ever be anything else to hope for, or that anything new can ever occur that will change their situation.
Even when Jesus and Martha talk about resurrection it seems that Martha sees that as something for the future – but not something that can help her and Mary in their present situation.
But Jesus sees it differently.
Jesus sees resurrection in the present moment, something that is here and now. He identifies himself as the resurrection Martha anticipates, and the life that she and Mary need just as much as their brother does.
And — Jesus is not content with just words. He turns to actions.
He does not just talk about hope. He gives hope.
He does not just talk about a new faith. He gives something to hang that faith on.
He does not just talk about new life. He gives new life.
He calls Lazarus out of the tomb to continue his life on earth, and at the same time frees Martha and Mary from what looked to be their hopeless situation.
He shows Lazarus – and Mary – and Martha – that they can believe that God gives new hope, new faith, and new life.
At this point you might well think: So what?
The new faith and new life God gave the Israelite exiles was not permanent.
So what if God gave freedom to the exiles and brought them back to the land He had promised them?
Israel returned from exile, but their history since then has been marked by numerous other instances of loss and disgrace.
So what if Jesus gave new life and new faith to Lazarus, Mary, and Martha?
Lazarus left the tomb — but later he died again.
The new faith and new life only led to more despair and hopelessness – did it not?
In one way – a very real way – yes it did.
But in another way – and this is a very real way also — these stories show you that – in every situation – in every event – in every time in life where you might feel the most helpless – every time when you might feel that all the hope and joy is gone from your life – every time you might feel that there is no way you will ever again have faith or experience new life – God is there.
Every time you feel there is no hope – God is there to give you hope.
Every time you feel you can’t have faith – God is there to renew your faith.
Every time you think you have lost all reason for living, God is there to give you a new reason for living.
In the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones and the story of Lazarus and Mary and Martha you can see that the terrible things in their lives – whether they are exile or loss of hope or even death — do not get to have the last word.
God has the last word.
Jesus has the last word.
In these stories – and so many others – especially the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus that we will celebrate in the next few weeks – you can see that the power of the terrible things that happen in your life has been broken forever and that even in the worst of times in your life you can have something to hope for. You can see that even in the worst times of your life things can be changed and made new – that even in the worst times of your life you can believe in a new faith –and new life
But – here’s the important question:
Will you add your story to these stories?
Will you let God add your story to the stories of Ezekiel and Lazarus and Mary and Martha and so many others who finally experienced the faith-renewing and life-giving power of God?
Yes — there are indeed times when your life can seem hopeless. There are situations that happen and you don’t know what to do or where to turn. There are times you might feel like you are with Mary and Martha in their grief and hopelessness or down among the bones in Ezekiel’s “death valley” – but at those times remember this:
The one who acted powerfully in the lives of Ezekiel and Lazarus and Mary and Martha and so many others is willing and able to act in your story as well.
There are no bones are too dry.
There is no grief is too deep.
There is no hurt that is too strong.
God can revive dry bones and give new hope to exiles!
God can give new life to a heartbroken family!
God can give you new faith and new life in the worst of times also!
God always has the last word – and that last word is that new life is possible – new possibilities are endless – and new hope is boundless.
Have you ever watched a caterpillar as it spins it’s cocoon?
What must it be thinking as it goes through the changes it experiences?
What must it be thinking as it dies?
Do you think it knows what’s going to happen it?
Do you think it knows the beautiful creature that is waiting on the other side?
The author Richard Bach wrote in his book Illusions:
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly.”
There is never a time in your life – no matter how painful it may be – no matter how hopeless it may seem – no matter how small the possibility for life and hope may appear to be – that God can not bring new faith and new life.
On this fifth Sunday in Lent, as we move ever closer to the death and resurrection of Christ, turn our eyes to your Savior and give Him all those times that hurt you and cause you to despair, so that you can indeed experience the new faith and new life He wants to give you. Amen.
